The Third and Final Continent by Jhumpa Lahiri

     This story, to me, is about distance. Not only the distance between Calcutta, London and Boston, Massachusetts, but the emotional distance the narrator has between himself and his wife, Mala. The narrator is originally from Calcutta, India. Moves to London for a while, then finally settles in the Unites States. When he first moved to the states he rents a room from Mrs. Croft. Mrs. Croft is a one hundred and three year old widow. Mrs. Croft and the narrator have a nightly routine. Mrs. Croft calls him to sit on the bench and tells his that there is an American flag on the moon and has him say splendid. After meeting Helen, Mrs. Crofts daughter, the narrator finds out that Mrs. Croft is over a century old and has been widowed for some time, she also has to have cans opened for her because giving piano lessons have taken away all of the strength in her hands. The narrator is only rents from Mrs. Croft for a short time before his wife from India, Mala, moves to the United States. They find another place to live together. The two later go back to his first place in America ans see Mrs. Croft. They learn that she has broken her hip and can't be left alone for long. The couple had some what of a connection while at Mrs. Crofts house.
     The couple begin to get accustom to American living. They still do have their Indian roots though Mala often makes authentic Indian cuisine and wears her sari. Some time passes and the narrator sees Mrs. Croft's obituary in the paper. "Mrs. Croft's was the first death I mourned in America, for hers was the first life I had admired; she had left this world at last, ancient and alone, never to return".

What You Will Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie

         Jackson Jackson is a drunken homeless Indian on the streets of Seattle. At the beginning of the story he and his 'regular crew' are walking around and stumble upon a pawnshop that caught Jackson's eye. In the window he sees his grandmothers regalia. He walks in and tells the shop owner that the regalia was stolen from his family nearly fifty years ago and that he would like it back. Ths owner tells him that it will cost him nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars. Jackson only has five dollars to his name, so the shop owner offers him a deal. The deal was that if Jackson could come up with the money in twenty four hours then he can have the regalia back, the owner even gives him twenty dollars to start him on his journey. Once he has the money in his hand he spends it on "three bottles of imagination", for him and his 'posse'. As the story continues, Jackson is able to earn little bits of money here and there. He wins one hundred dollars by playing scrach of tickets. Agian, once he has the hundred dollars he spends it at Big Heart's bar, an all-Indian bar. He buys drinks for him and all his cousins. Later he is found on the railroad tracks by a cop that is familiar with Jackson. While on his way to a detox center with the officer, they speak about Jacksons grandfather and tells the officer of his grandmothers regalia. The officer then gives his thirty dollars. He takes that thirty dollars and spends it at Mother's Kitchen, a place he knew served homeless Indians. Then his twenty four hours are up. He tries to remember where exaclty the pawn shop is, and it seems to magically appear. He takes his now, five dollars into the shop. The owner asks if he worked hard for that money. Jackson says yes. The owner then gives Jackson his grandmothers regalia.
        To me, this story is about how Jackson had an attachment to his heritage. All the money that he recieved was spent buying things for other Indians, mostly homeless Indians. Only time will if Jackson will save this piece of family history, or will he pawn it for enough money to take his "posse" back to the bar.

Picture Bride by Cathy Song

                     This poem is about the wonderings of a twenty four year old granddaughter of a "mail order bride." The granddaughter is a year older than the grandmother when she was promised as a bride. The grandmother was from Korea and the groom to be was from Hawaii, "Waialua Sugar Mill". The granddaughter knows what her feelings would be if she was in that position, and is curios to know what her grandmother was thinking and feeling as she left her fathers home and walked through the streets and boarded a boat to take her to an island "whose name she only recently learned". Did her grandmother know how long this trip would be, as the granddaughter now knows the great distance between Korea and Hawaii.
              We know little of the man awaiting her arrival, except that he works at "Waialua Sugar Mill". Does he envision his future growing brighter as his room did "from the wings of moths migrating out of the cane stalks", as his bride to be migrates out of Korea? The granddaughter envisions her grandparents first meeting. The granddaughter, knowing the subservient role of a female in the Korean culture of her grandmothers time, questions if her grandmother 'politely untied the silk bow of her jacket' and gave herself to her husband.
               I don't think the granddaughter knew her grandmother, as she would have had these questions answered. I don't sense any resentment, from the granddaughter, regarding the process of arranged marriages. She accepts that that was a custom of the time.

Dusting by Rita Dove

This poem is about a girl, Beulah, who is now an older woman and recalling the memory of her husband. In the beginning she is mindlessly cleaning. " Under her hands scrolls and crests gleam". Her mind drifts to the day she met the boy at the fair. "What was his name, that silly boy at the fair with the rifle booth?" At first it seems she is having difficulty recalling the name of an insignificant boy that she met at the fair. "Not Michael . . . . Wavery memory". Beulah clearly remembers the fish in the bowl. "the clear bowl with one bright fish". In the final verse we see that the boy Beulah is trying to remember was her husband. "That was years before Father gave her up with her name." As a father gives his daughter away to the groom, and Beulah gave up her maiden name. It is interesting to note that the name Beulah means married, to marry, claimed as a wife. "Her name grew to mean Promise, then Desert-in-Peace." This quote refers to the promises made in wedding vows or just a promise to the future. The Desert-in-Peace, to me, signifies the end of a marriage either by death or dissolution. And then Beulah remembers his name. "Maurice". I think this is a warm poem about a slice of a woman's life, maybe five minutes while she's cleaning. It is fitting that the first line of this poem is "Every day a wilderness", because it refers to her bewilderment.

If We Must Die by Claude McKay

    When I first read, If We Must Die, I believed Claude McKay to be referencing some kind of war. He evokes strong emotion with his use of words such as hog and monsters. This poem is about dying with dignity and nobility. The narrator does not want to be 'hunted and penned in an inglorious spot.' He doesn't want their 'precious blood' to be shed in vain. This line is what made me believe he was referencing war. They want their lives to count and be part of the cause. They do not want to just lay down their weapons because they have been outnumbered, they, 'Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back.'  
     It is interesting to note that Claude McKay was a descendant of slaves. At the age of twenty-three he came to the United Stated to attend college. At age thirty he was in England, later living in Russia and France. In 1934, McKay moved back to the United States and settled in Harlem, New York.
     After reading some of McKay's background, I am not sure what this poem is referencing. I am certain that he would have seen some oppression in Harlem and possibly in Moscow and the tales of slavery from his relatives. Was it a combination of these events that inspired him to write?

Poetry by Marianne Moore

     This poem is a poem for the individuals that do not think they like poetry. Marianne Moore extends her hand and acknowledges 'there are things that are important beyond all this fiddle.' I understand her statement, as I have read some poems with contempt and overall dislike. Moore wants to make a change in how people feel about poetry. After reading any kind of poem, the poet invokes some kind of response. Every reader has 'hands that can grasp, eyes that can dilate, hair that can rise'. She appeals to the universal feeling of, 'that we do not admire what we cannot understand.' Poetry can be a bridge to

understanding.

     Moore references Dutton's 'Diary of Tolstoy', and his thoughts of the boundary between prose and poetry, this is important because it helps strengthen her argument that the informative language of 'business documents and school books', should not be discriminated against. 'All these phenomena are important.' She encourages poetry to be well done not by 'half poets', but by those who accept their role as 'literalists of the imagination'. Their words need to be sowing the seeds of an 'imaginary garden with real toads in them.' And that is how poetry will have a broader appeal. Moore appeals to the public to seek 'the raw materials of poetry' and genuine thought and emotion, put into words by a true poet.

A Jelly-Fish By Marianne More

The title of the poem 'A Jelly-Fish' draws me in, because of my interest of marine life.  I am unclear as to the purpose of Moore's use of an alternate spelling with a hyphen. The contrast presented in the first line, 'Visible, invisible', hints to the hidden danger of the jellyfish. Moore's use of the term 'fluctuating charm' can be interpreted two different ways. There is fluctuating, as in the floating motion of the jellyfish or that the level of his charm can fluctuate. Moore's describtion, 'an amber-tinctured amethyst',  paints a picture of the beauty and elegance of a jellyfish, although I am aware of their danger.  As you read on, you realize the subject is drawn to touch and ultimately catch, this thing of such grace. For the subject, it is the 'quiver' of the jellyfish, that causes him to abandon his intent. Which leads me to question if the 'quiver' was threatening or provided a pause for the subject to withdraw and respect the jellyfish in its natural habitat. I myself, have been captivated by the charm of jellyfish, but also weary of the danger they present. I have seen first hand the victim of a sting and the pain that was inflicted.